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Material Type: | Internet resource |
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Document Type: | Book, Internet Resource |
All Authors / Contributors: |
David E Fastovsky; David B Weishampel |
ISBN: | 0521811724 9780521811729 0521010462 9780521010467 |
OCLC Number: | 54913410 |
Description: | x, 485 pages : illustrations, maps ; 27 cm |
Contents: | Introduction -- The Mesozoic Era -- Discovering Order -- Interrelationships -- Origin of Dinosauria -- Saurischia -- Sauropoda -- Theropoda -- The Origin of birds -- Mesozoic Birds -- Ornithischia -- Stegosauria -- Ankylosauria -- Pachycephalosauria -- Ceratopsia -- Ornithopoda -- Endothermy -- Dinosaur Paleoecology -- Reconstructing Extinctions -- The Cretaceous/Tertiary extinction. |
Responsibility: | David E. Fastovsky, David B. Weishampel. |
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Reviews
Publisher Synopsis
From reviews of the previous edition: 'The book amply fulfils its objective of providing an authoritative, stimulating and lively introduction to dinosaurs. There are not many textbooks to which the epithets 'lively' and 'entertaining' apply, and that are friendly enough for a general reader ... I can also warmly recommend it to interested general readers as the best available and thoroughly accessible account of dinosaurs and how they fit in with current scientific thinking - with the bonus that it presents the facts in an exciting manner, while dispelling the hype.' Angela Milner, New Scientist From reviews of the previous edition: '... reflects the rigour of modern palaeontological research, and it will transmit the idea of method and testing to students, especially in terms of cladistic analysis of relationships, studies of macroevolution and of functional morphology. The book also conveys enthusiasm and excitement, two further principles of science that new generations of palaeontologists display in abundance ... The presentation of the book is superb. The writing style is lively, and there are many amusing anecdotes and sidelines on popular attitudes to dinosaurs ... There are even 14 colour plates, which is astounding in a textbook at this price.' Michael J. Benton, Trends in Ecology and Evolution '... superb ... It's engagingly written, authoritative, up-to-date, well illustrated, and bursting with enthusiasm. ... The book is written as a university level text, but could easily be used to develop modular material for teaching at any level. I hope it will be. Highly recommended.' Biologist '... it serves as an excellent primer on and about dinosaurs. ... For the uninitiated this should prove to be a thoroughly good read ...' Geological Magazine 'There is much in The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs to appeal to the non-specialist and dinosaur enthusiast as well as to the student market. The book covers exactly what it says on the jacket, including important sections on systematics using cladistic methodology that shows how dinosaurs relate to each other and to other animals. It offers more in-depth coverage of dinosaurs than broader vertebrate palaeontology textbooks ... very good value.' The Times Higher Education Supplement '... a fascinating and interesting book. Very well illustrated, it is of an easy understanding. Concise and clear ...' Geobios 'One of the real strong features of The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs are its line drawings by John Sibbick, one of the foremost dinosaur illustrators who excels here as a textbook illustrator as well. ... a great achievement by the authors and a substantial improvement over the first edition. It must have been a real challenge to write an update of this rapidly moving field, but the book very well manages to convey the excitement of the ongoing research on dinosaurs.' Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research "I'm hard pressed to think of another available book as accessible as this for a novice to learn about dinosaurs." American Scientist "The presentation of the book is superb...for palaeontologists it is the best single book on the subject." Historical Biology "Amply fulfils its objective of providing an authoritative, stimulating and lively introduction to dinosaurs...recommend[ed] to interested general readers as the best available and thoroughly accessible account of dinosaurs and how they fit in with current scientific thinking." New Scientist "Written in an easy, accessible style, this text will appeal to the non-specialist with an interest in dinosaurs. A series of enjoyable essays...a comprehensive text that is well suited for an entry level course on dinosaurs. Nicely illustrated, with a short bibliography at the end of each essay in the form of a list of important readings." - Southeastern Naturalist "...a very interesting and fascinating book... Very well illustrated.... The authors are true specialists.... This book is addressed to a large public: novice and/or keen readers, researchers and teachers.... Concise and clear, the book will give satisfaction to most readers." -Geobios - Analyses de livres "...well-written, highly visual, engaging, and informative book...with much up-to-date information on virtually all aspects of dinosaur biology. ... The volume's strength is its clear explanation of anatomy within the context of natural history ... highly recommended." - CHOICE Read more...

